Brother of a Witch
by SharkyTheBwayFreak
Summary: What if the musical included Shell?
1. Chapter 1: Twins!

**A/N: Hi guys! This is my third **_**Wicked **_**story, but it's the first one I'm publishing on this site. I thought it would be cool to write a story based on the musical, but told from Shell's point of view, so you would get the idea of what would happen if Shell was in the musical. You don't get many stories with Shell in them, and there is not one story on this site where he is the main character. At all. If you don't believe me, you can select Shell from the character list and you'll see for yourself there's not one story about him. Because this is musicalverse, I have decided to make Nessa and Shell twins just for a change, and there may be one or two book references, but I'm not sure yet. Also as this story is based on the musical, it will have nothing to do with Shell's role in **_**Son of a Witch**_**. As for pairings, it will probably be a Fiyeraba, which is a change as I normally write Gelphies. This story is a K+ for now, it may go up to a T later, it depends. Anyway please enjoy and rate and review, and please be kind with comments as it's my first story on the site.**

**- Sharky**

**Brother of a Witch**

**The Life and Times of Shell Thropp**

**By SharkyTheBwayFreak**

**Chapter 1: Twins!**

"Come on Melena, push!" yelled Nanny, who was serving as the midwife. "PUSH!"

Melena Thropp pushed as hard as she could, taking deep breaths as hard as possible.

"I see a head!" exclaimed Nanny. "Come on Melena, you can do it! PUSH!"

Melena pushed harder and harder, until finally the baby popped out. Nanny rushed to get a blanket, and wrapped the newborn in the blanket. "Congratulations," said Nanny, smiling down at the mother-of-now-two. "It's a boy."

Melena held out her arms as Nanny gently held her the new baby. She smiled at her second-born. The baby opened his eyes, revealing two dark brown orbs that were Melena's own. He had short dark brown hair and a long thin nose that made him look like his father, but with some of his mother's features. His older sister, Elphaba, was very much the spitting image of her mother, but then again, Melena couldn't be certain that her husband, Frex, was Elphaba's father.

"He's beautiful," Melena whispered, tickling the baby's cheeks, causing him to laugh. "I'm naming him Shell. Shell Frexspar Thropp."

"Shell?" Nanny asked in confusion.

"After Turtle Heart," Melena replied. "A good... friend of mine..." She forced the words out, and immediately Nanny could tell that something was wrong.

"Melena!," exclaimed Nanny. "What's wrong?"

"Another... baby!" panted Melena. "Another baby... is coming! I knew I shouldn't have taken... too many of those... milk flowers... when Frex forced me to!"

"Ssh, relax," said Nanny, taking Melena's hand and squeezing it comfortingly. "It's not your fault. Just push as hard as you can and the baby will come out fine."

Melena nodded and smiled. "Thank you Nanny. For all you've... done for me." She pushed as hard as possible before turning to Nanny once more. "Nanny. I need you... to do me a favour."

"Yes?"

Melena reached underneath her pillow and pulled out a small green bottle. "Give this to Elphaba," she instructed. "Tell her to keep it safe... at all times. Whatever you do, do not let Frex find out about it. He can never know. I know she is only an infant but...," she took a deep breath, "...she'll understand someday. And Nanny... watch over her. I love her so much and I want her to know that I will always love her, no matter what colour her skin is or what other people say. She's my little girl... and that's all that matters."

"I will," said Nanny softly. "I'll watch over her. Over all three of them. Come on now, push! You can do it! I see the baby's head!"

Melena pushed as hard as possible, forcing the new baby out and allowing Nanny to catch her. "Well done Melena," said Nanny. "You have a beautiful baby girl... Sweet Oz!" she exclaimed; she had just noticed that the new baby's legs were tangled, and no matter how hard Nanny tried, she could not untangle them. However, aside from the legs, Melena had given birth to a healthy baby girl, who, like Shell, was a combination of her mother and father. She had her mother's long brown hair and dark eyes, but her face was shaped almost like her father's. "Melena, meet your daughter," said Nanny, holding the baby out to Melena, who for some reason appeared to be asleep. Confused, Nanny scooped Shell into her arms, and looked both twins in the eyes, smiling.

Suddenly, Melena's husband and the Governer of Munchkinland, Frex, rushed into the room, followed by his green-skinned two-year-old daughter Elphaba, who he often pretended didn't exist. "Melena!" he yelled. "I heard someone yelling, what happened?" He shook his wife's body and pressed his ear against her belly. "Sweet Oz," he whispered, wondering what might have caused this to happen. Before he could think, however, Nanny spoke up. "Frex, Melena gave birth to twins. She's already named the boy Shell..."

"After Turtle Heart?" Frex asked; Turtle Heart was a good friend of Melena's who Frex normally got along with.

"After Turtle Heart, yes," continued Nanny, "but she passed out before she could even see her daughter, so she remains unnamed. Speaking of the girl, it might come as a shock to you that her..."

"Nanny, please," said Frex, taking each of the babies from her. "What is there to worry about? They both have normal skin, so how could anything possibly... Oz no!"

He had just pulled back the girl's blankets to reveal a tangled-up pair of legs. For a moment, he couldn't even look at his daughter, but then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "At least she was born _normal_," he thought to himself. He smiled at the new baby, and she smiled back. "Your name shall be Nessarose," he told her "for you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." He then turned to Nanny. "Keep watch on them, I have to go write a report." He walked out of the room, knowing he would get over Nessarose's cripple in a matter of time, when he saw his oldest daughter, Elphaba, standing in the doorway. She could see his eyes staring down at her, and she could see that his face was turning a bright red.

"_You_," he spat. "_You did this!_"

"What's wrong, Papa?," asked Elphaba, a confused look on her face. She was two, nearly three years old, surely she'd done nothing wrong? But Frex ignored her and grabbed hold of her arm, dragging her across the room to where her now dead mother lay.

"_Do you see what you've done?_" he yelled, before taking baby Nessarose from Nanny and showing Elphaba her legs. "_DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! And stop that crying! You're lucky your mother let you live here, because if it was up to me, you would have gone straight to an orphanage! You've killed my wife, you've crippled my daughter, you're lucky your brother is in good condition, because if anything had happened to him, you'd have been out before you can say "Wizard of Oz"! Now get out of my sight!" _And with that he strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Ssh, don't cry, honey," said a voice from nearby. Elphaba looked up to see Nanny smiling down at her. "It wasn't your fault your mother died, and it wasn't your fault your sister is crippled. If anyone's to blame it's your father, making your mother chew all those milk flowers. Come here," she said, pulling the little girl into a hug. "Don't listen to him, you're beautiful, no matter what he says. Oh, I have something for you too." She pulled the little green bottle that Melena had given her out of her pocket and handed it to Elphaba. "It was your mother's, and she wanted you to have it. Keep hold of it at all times, and whatever you do, don't let your father get hold of it! Understood?"

Elphaba dried her tears and nodded. "Good girl," said Nanny, stroking her hair. "Time to meet your new siblings I think," she smiled, handing Elphaba baby Nessarose. "This is your little sister, Nessarose." Elphaba looked at her little sister, who smiled at her and touched her hand. Elphaba stroked her sister's hand back, and placed a kiss on her cheek. She then handed her back to Nanny, who gave her baby Shell in return.

"And this is your little brother, Shell." Elphaba took her baby brother from Nanny and looked at him smiling. Little Shell opened his eyes and saw his big sister for the first time. He nestled into her arms and kept smiling up at her, even when he had his eyes closed. Shell saw his older sister for the first time, and from that moment on he always loved her and looked up to her.

**Did you enjoy the first chapter? Next chapter will have all three kids off to Shiz!!! Please rate and review and I will try to update as soon as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Familiar Face

**A/N:Thanks to all who have read and enjoyed Chapter 1, and a big thanks to wickedfan1 and deeplyshallow for reviewing!!! Also thank you deeplyshallow for linking me to this great fanfic about Shell, entitled **_**Turtle Tangent **_**written by The Pixess!!! It may be two years old, but it's so freakin' good and hilariously funny! The link is .net/s/3903733/1/Turtle_Tangent (you may want to copy and paste that link into the address bar as I dont think direct links work on the site). Also, reading through **_**Son of a Witch **_**today, I discovered that Shell's nickname is Shell "Go-to-Hell" Thropp, so I thought I'd put that in as well!!! Anywhom, time to move onto the next chapter!**

**EDIT: I have made a few changes to this chapter because I noticed some typos and spelling mistakes. Thus, Chapter 2 is reuploaded. Chapter 3 will be up sometime tonight, along with another story I'm writing; a Bessa entitled "Love At First Sight", so keep a watch out for it!**

**- Sharky**

**Chapter 2: A Familiar Face**

Sixteen years had passed by, and Elphaba was now eighteen and the twins sixteen. Not too long ago, Nessarose and Shell had been offered places at Shiz University. Frex did not want Elphaba to go, but after a lot of nagging from Shell, Frex finally gave in, but kept a close eye on his oldest daughter as if she would suddenly creep up behind him with a knife and attack him. Ever since "the incident", Frex had paid little attention to Elphaba, even little than he did before the twins were born, and treated her more like a servant than a child. All their lives Nessa and Shell had to watch their father beating Elphaba, mainly for things she didn't do or weren't her fault, and whenever either of them tried to stick up for her, Frex ignored them, believing his precious angels would never take the green girl's side. Shell remembered one time when Frex had forced Elphaba to stick her hands into the bathtub full of water to retreive his pocket watch, and when Elphaba refused, Frex had beaten her hard and locked her in her room for a whole week. _Why does Father hate her so much? _Shell often wondered to himself. What was even more curious was the mysterious fact that Elphaba would not touch or go near water. She kept herself clean using special bathing oil.

The moment the Thropps arrived at Shiz, Elphaba was forced to carry her and her siblings' suitcases, which were extremely heavy, with Shell following closely behind. He had offered to help her, but she declined, as she was used to it. Bringing up the rear was her father pushing Nessa, who had become confined to a wheelchair all her life thanks to her tangled-up legs and her inability to walk. Elphaba arrived in the entrance hall of Shiz first, immediately attracting unwanted stares from the other students.

"What?! What are you looking at? Oh, do I have something in my teeth?," she asked sarcastically; she knew the reason why everyone was staring. She couldn't take it anymore, and rounded on the other students. "Okay, let's get this over with. No, I'm not seasick, yes, I've always been green, no, I didn't chew grass as a child..." She then noticed her father and siblings had joined her. "Oh, these are my younger siblings, Nessarose and Shell. As you can see, they're a perfectly normal colour..."

"ELPHABA!" A voice yelled behind her. Elphaba turned around to face her father, who was eyeing her suspiciously as usual. "Stop making a spectacle of yourself! Remember, I'm only sending you here for one reason..."

"I know," Elphaba replied through gritted teeth. "To look after Nessa and Shell."

Not looking at or listening to his oldest daughter, Frex turned to Shell. "A parting gift for you, son," he said, handing him a box. Shell opened it to reveal a pendant on a gold chain, with the Thropp family coat of arms on it. "It's been passed down from Thropp to Thropp. It was your mother's, and since she passed away I've been keeping iit safe, just for you."

Shell's eyes widened at the gift. Lost on words, all he could get out was "Thank you Father!" before Frex smiled at him and ruffled his hair, before presenting a second box to his favourite daughter. "And for my beaufitul Nessarose, my precious little girl, I have a parting gift for you too."

Nessa opened the box to reveal a beautiful pair of silver slippers, which shone in the bright light. "Jeweled shoes?," exclaimed Nessa in awe.

"As benefits the future Governer of Munchkinland," said Frex. "One day, kids, one day, one of you will take over from me when I am too old to run the country. I wish both of you the best of luck. Elphaba, take care of your siblings," he added to his oldest daughter, before looking her in complete disgust. "_And try not to talk so much!_"

As soon as their father left the room, Nessa couldn't help but feel sorry for her sister, who hadn't received a gift from her father at all. "Elphaba..."

"Well what could he have gotten me? I clash with everything," said Elphaba half-heartedly, referring to Nessa's new shoes. It was true; iti was almost impossible to see Elphaba in anything but black or dark blue, for every other colour made her stand out, that is, if her green skin didn't make her stand out enough already.

"It's not just about clothes," said Shell, in an attempt to cheer her up. He indicated the gold pendant around his neck. "He could have got you..."

Shell was lost on words. What _could _Frez had gotten Elphaba? The only heirloom she had was from her mother, and it was one of the only things that Frex didn't know about. Before Shell could think anymore, however, a middle-aged, white-haired woman entered the room. "Welcome, new students! I am Madame Morrible, Headmistress of Shiz University! And whether you're here to study logic, literature or..."

Shell yawned. Two minutes into Shiz and already this old woman was boring him. As Morrible droned on and on with her speech, Shell looked around the room. Several boys and girls aged sixteen to nineteen were all huddled together with their luggage, each of them wearing either navy blue or white uniform. Shell noticed that each student's uniform stood out from the others: some had blazers on, whilst others just wore shirts and vests; some wore long sleeves and others short; to Shell, it looked like the school had no proper dress code. In the corner a trolley stood, with several piles of luggage on top of it, and on top of the luggage sat a blonde girl of around eighteen clad entirely in white, holding what appeared to be an essay. It was then that she raised her hand.

"Is this regarding room assignments?," Madame Morrible asked sternly; the girl had had her hand raised in the air impatiently and it was clear to Shell that Madame Morrible was reaching her limits with her.

"Yes, you see, I am Galinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands," she introduced herself, unaware that Shell was sneering at her, "I've already been assigned a private suite, but you can all come and visit me any time you want! Anyway Madame, I've applied to your sorcery seminar, and indeed that is my sole purpose of attending Shiz; to study sorcery with you. Perhaps you recall my essay, "Magic Wands: Need They Have A Point?" She handed Madame Morrible her essay as a reminder; she was aware that Morrible may not have read the essay and might need a little refresh. Morrible, however, clearly wasn't interested.

"Yes..." she said, flicking through the pages before handing the essay back to Galinda, "However, I do not teach my seminar every semester, unless of course, somebody special were to come along..."

Shell felt a little uncomfortable for some reason, and turned his attention instead to a tall boy in another corner. Like most students, his uniform was blue and white pinstriped, but both the jacket and trousers looked a little too small for him. He wore a green shirt and pink-and-red striped tie underneath. A red knit cap sat on top of his dark brown hair, which appeared to be sticking upwards. Shell looked at the boy closely; he was sure he knew him from somewhere, but he just couldn't think where...

"Ah, you must be the Governer's son!" said Madame Morrible, awakening Shell from his little daydream. "And of course the daughter! Master Shell and Miss Nessarose, isn't it? What tragically beautiful faces you have!" Shell heard Elphaba snort silently, as if Morrible was the queen of Oz or something. It was then that the Headmistress noticed her. "And you must be..." she started, not taking much interest.

"I'm the other daughter, Elphaba. I'm beautifully tragic."

"Yes, I'm sure you're very bright..."

"Bright?!" exclaimed Galinda from across the room. "She's phospherescent." A few of the other students laughed, and Shell clenched his fists in anger. Galinda then turned to two other girls who seemed just as snobby as what she was. "I don't think she even _read_ my essay!" she told them. The boy in the pinstriped uniform told her that she should say something about it.

"I don't seem to have you on my list," Madame Morrible addressed Elphaba. "Oh well, a slight gulch, but not to fret, we'll find some place to put you! Now, which of you young ladies would like to share with Miss Elphaba?"

Galinda, unaware of this little conversation and having been pushed forward to say something, raised her hand and said, "Madame Morrible..."

"Oh, thank you dear! Miss Elphaba, you will share with Miss Galinda!" Shell noticed the look of shock on both girls' faces; it was hard to tell who was more appauled! Morrible then addressed Elphaba, "The Governor made his concern for your sister's well being quite clear. So, I thought it would be best if she share my private compartment where I can assist her as needed..."

"But Madame, I've always looked after my sister..." Elphaba started, but Morrible grabbed the handles of Nessa's chair and called, "Everyone, to your dormitories!"

"LET HER GO!"

Suddenly Nessa's wheelchair suddenly broke itself free and made its way back to Elphaba. Shell knew that whenever Elphaba got angry, something like this would happen, and although he loved his sister dearly, he wished that she wouldn't do things like that in public.

"I'm sorry Madame," said Elphaba, trying her best to ignore the gasps of the students around her and the rumours about her saying "How did she do that?!" "Something just comes over me sometimes." But Madame Morrible wasn't angry with Elphaba; in fact, she was _impressed_! "What? Never apologise for talent! Have you ever considered a career in Sorcery?"

"Sorcery?" asked Elphaba in complete shock.

"I shall tutor myself, and will take no other students," she added, much to Galinda's dismay. "I have waited many years for a gift like this Miss Elphaba. Why, if the Wizard could see you now, he'd be so impressed he'd make you his..." she hesitated for a while, "Grand Vizier! I'll write to him at once! With a talent like yours, dear, there is a definish chance, if you work as you should, you'll be making good!" She then addressed the other students. "Everyone to your dorms!"

"What about me, Madame?" asked Shell.

"Your father did consider me sharing my private suite with you," said Madame Morrible, "but I only had room for one, I'm afraid. He thought your sister Nessarose would be most suitable with me, as she is in a wheelchair and needs as much assistance as possible. Not to worry though, you have a special place, in the Bishop's Dormitory in the Three Queens campus. Just ahead and to the right, can't miss it!"

Shell immediately left to find his dormitory, and had no trouble finding it. He could see that four other boys were already in the dormitory, which had room for six. Suddenly, the boy in the pinstriped uniform that Shell had seen in the entrance hall approached him. "Master Shell?"

"Hey," Shell replied, shaking the other's hand. "Just call me Shell, I think we already know each other from when we were young?"

"Yes, I think we do!" the other boy replied. "I'm Boq, by the way, in case you've forgotten. I remember playing with you and your sisters all the time. How are they?"

"Fine as usual," replied Shell. "It's really annoying, though, getting stopped all the time and getting asked how your sisters can be a frog and a cripple. That really hurts. They're my sisters. I don't care if one of them has green skin and the other's legs are tangled. They're my _sisters_." One of the boys in the corner snickered to himself. "You got a problem with that?" Shell yelled, clenching his fists in rage.

"Err... no," replied the boy, before turning away to unpack the rest of his clothes.

"Just ignore Avaric," said Boq, in a whisper that only he and Shell could hear. "He's just a bully. By the way, this is Crope and this is Tibbett," he said, indicating the other two boys who shared their dorm.

"Who's having the other bed?," asked Shell, noticing there were only five of them.

"Oh, we're having a new guy arrive tomorrow," explained Boq. "Really cool getting to know new people here. Speaking of which, you know that Galinda girl? Isn't she just..." He was hesitating, as he couldn't seem to find the right word, "...breathtaking?" He sighed dreamily, closed his eyes and smiled, but Shell didn't seem to take any notice and just shrugged, before changing the subject. "It says we have Dr. Dillamond tomorrow.."

"Dr. Dillamond? I've heard he's a goat... no, wait, a Goat!" Shell sat upright and listened closely, taking interest; he had never met an Animal before, and hearing that he would be taught by one was just extraordinary. "Really can't wait for that, should be exciting! Anyway, I'm off to bed now, nice to see you again, Shell "Go-to-Hell" Thropp!"

Shell chuckled. "Nice to see you again too." As he drifted off to sleep, thinking of all the excitement that awaited him for the following day, only one thing was on his mind right now: make up a nickname for Boq.

**That was the second chapter done!! Next chapter will be Dr. Dillamond's class!!! I'd also love if someone came up with a hilarious nickname for Boq, would be most appreciated! Chapter 3 will be up soon, and please feel free to rate and review!!!**


	3. Chapter 3: Camera at the Ready

**A/N: Merry Belated Christmas!! Did you all have a great time? I sure did; I got an iPod and The Grimmerie amongst lots of other cool stuff. Anyway, as you may or may not know, I've re-uploaded Chapter 2, because I noticed a few typos and spelling mistakes. For all the Bessa fans out there, I have started writing a new story about Nessa and Boq, entitled **_**Love At First Sight**_**, so why not check it out? Just to let everyone know, Boq's surname is Gillan because James Gillan is my favourite actor who played him. We also have 2 OC's who will make re-occuring appearances in all the stories I write, and for the record, Talya's name is pronounced **_**tuh-lie-uh**_**. Thanks to all who've read so far, and here is Chapter 3 for you!**

**- Sharky**

**Chapter 3: Camera at the Ready**

"Shell! Wake up, you lazy asshole!"

"Wha... wha?" Shell groaned, rolling over in bed. He squinted his eyes open to see Avaric towering over him.

"We've got class with Dr. Dillamond, in case you've forgotten, you nutcase!" he yelled, throwing his pillow at Shell and thrusting the curtains open so that the bright sunlight shone in his eyes.

"So what?," Shell grunted, rolling over on his side. "It's not like you're going anyway, you're just going to chill out in here all day and then get your ass drunk in the pub tonight. Don't get smart with me, pal, I saw you stashing bottles in your drawer last night when the others were asleep, even when you thought I didn't see you."

Avaric, gobsmacked at his roommate's words, stormed out of the room, muttering something that sounded like "Nutter", before slamming the door behind him. As soon as the coast was clear, Boq came out from under his bed, immediately startling Shell. "I thought you'd left already?"

"I wanted the others to think I had," Boq replied, "especially that Avaric. That guy scares the creeps out of me. So I got up early, made my bed, got dressed and hid under the bed. By the way, I heard you sticking up to Avaric just now, I think you nailed him!"

Shell smiled. "I don't think he'll give me any trouble from now on."

Boq laughed back. "Well we'd better get moving then, Dr. Dillamond's class is going to start soon, and where there's class, there's girls, and where there's girls, there's..."

"Galinda," Shell finished for him. "What do you see in her? She's just the same as the rest of them, all snobby and rich and... girly."

Boq ignored Shell's comment. "She'll be mine before you know it, don't you worry! C'mon, get dressed, class starts in fifteen minutes!" He turned to the door to make his way out.

"Err, Boq, can you do me a favour before you go out?"

"Yeah?"

_"CLOSE THE OZDAMN CURTAINS!"_

* * *

Within a matter of time, Dr. Dillamond's class had started, and it seemed to have countless students. As Shell had predicted, the only one missing was Avaric. Only Oz knew where that jerk was hiding. He could also see that Elphaba and Galinda, just like himself and Avaric, were not getting along at all, and things got even worse over a very simple little thing.

"I have read your most recent essays," said Dr. Dillamond, "and I am amazed to report the progress! Although, some of us still tend to favor form over content... Miss Glinda!" he said, looking firmly at Galinda.

"It's _GA_linda" she corrected him.

"Excuse me.. _Glinda._"

"You know, I don't really see what the problem is, every other professor seems to be able to pronounce my name."

It was then that Elphaba stood up, rounding on her roommate. "Maybe perfecting the pronounciation of your precious name isn't the sole purpose of Dr. Dillamond's life!" she yelled. "Maybe he's not like every other professor. Maybe some of us are different!"

"Ooh, it seems the artichoke is steamed!" Galinda teased, immediately causing nearly every other student to laugh with her. At that moment, Shell clenched his fists, feeling as if he would get up, march straight up to her and sort her out like he'd done with Avaric earlier. After all, nobody ever got away with teasing a sister of Shell Thropp.

"Class! Class!" yelled Dr. Dillamond over the laughter. "After all, I am the sole Animal on the faculty. The token Goat, as it were. But it wasn't always this way. Oh, dear students, how I wish you could have seen it as it once was. Where you could walk down the halls and see an Antelope explicating a sonnet, a Snow Leopard solving an equation, a Wildebeast waxing philosophic. Don't you see, dear students, how our dear Oz is becoming less and less... colourful," he said, giving a wink at Elphaba. "Now, who can tell what sent these events into motion?"

It was no surprise that Elphaba, being the smartest in the class, raised her hand immediately. "From what I've heard, it all started with the great drought."

"Exactly," said Dr. Dillamond, pressing on with the lesson. "Food grew scarce, people grew hungrier and angrier. And the question became "Whom can we blame?" Can anyone tell me what is meant by the term 'Scapegoat'?" Shell noticed that Elphaba, once again, had her hand in the air, as, surprisingly, did Galinda. _Wow_, Shell thought to himself. _Since when did she learn any history that wasn't about fashion? _ "Someone _besides _Miss Elphaba? Ah, yes, Miss Glinda..."

"It's _GA_linda, with a _GA_. I don't see why you can't just teach us history instead of harping on the past."

Shell was reaching his limits with this girl. Where had she _been_? History was meant to be about the _past! _And how dare she rudely interrupt Dr. Dillamond! As far as Shell and Elphaba were concerned, the Goat had a point to prove!

"Well, perhaps this will enlighten you," said Dr. Dillamond, making his way over to the blackboard. However, when he turned the board over, written in blood-red chalk was possibly the biggest insult an Animal could ever receive.

_ANIMALS SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD._

Shell gasped in horror. Who would do such a thing? He then thought of who it could be, but there was no evidence of who could have done it.

"Who is responsible for this?!" demanded Dr. Dillamond. "I'm waiting for an answer!" Still nobody raised a hand or stepped forward, or even showed any signs that they were responsible, such as sweating or fidgeting. "Very well, that will be all for today. You heard me, class dismissed!!!"

Immediately, the whole class flocked out of the room, save for the three Thropps. Nessa wasn't as concerned to the matter as Elphaba and Shell were, but was more or less waiting for someone to wheel her out. "You go on ahead Nessa, we'll be fine," said Shell. Nessa wheeled herself out of the room, whilst Shell and Elphaba sat down on either side of Dr. Dillamond.

"Oh, don't worry about me," said Dr. Dillamond, "I'll be fine. Go on ahead and enjoy your friends."

"That's alright, Dr. Dillamond, I don't have any friends," said Elphaba.

"And I'm appauled with whoever wrote that!" yelled Shell. "They should be ashamed of themselves! Why, I wish I'd had the nerve to get up and bring this to class earlier," he said, pulling out a small camera from his pocket. "Then I'd have caught them red-handed. Anyway, you shouldn't let statements like that bother you, Dr. Dillamond."

"He's right," said Elphaba, handing Dr. Dillamond a chocolate bar. "I get it all the time, but you shouldn't let it bother you."

"Thank you, you are both too kind. But if only if it were just a matter of words on a chalkboard... I've heard dreadful things! I've heard that several Animals have lost their abilities to speak, and are becoming simply animals! My dear students, something bad is happening in Oz!"

Elphaba opened her mouth to speak, but before she could speak, Madame Morrible entered the room. "Are you alright, Dr. Dillamond? Oh, Miss Elphaba, you're still here? I thought you'd be off to my Sorcery seminar now. Magic is a very demanderating mistress, and if one has ambitions of meeting the Wizard. I'm sure Doctor Dillamond sees my point."

She turned to leave, but then noticed the camera in Shell's hand. "Oh, Master Shell, that's a great idea! We could do with a photographer to assist with our newspaper!"

"Well, Madame," said Shell, "I have been interested in photography for quite a while now, I was hoping I could do something for the Ozmopolitan or something..."

"Sounds perfect!," exclaimed Morrible, taking Shell's hand. "How would you like to start by taking a few photographs at the Ozdust Ballroom tonight, to illustrate our newspaper report? We have a Prince arriving tonight, all the way from the Vinkus!"

"Awesome, I'm up for it!" Shell exclaimed. Madame Morrible patted him on the back, before leaving. "I'll be off then," he told Elphaba. "Got to get ready to go to the Ozdust Ballroom tonight. You coming?"

"No way in _Oz_," said Elphaba. "I'll be staying in the library with Nessa."

"Suit yourself then," said Shell, shrugging his shoulders. "You're only going to miss out on the best fun there is! Bye, Dr. Dillamond!"

"Goodbye, Master Shell. Thank you once again."

_________________________________________________________________________

Shell had just got to his dorm room and was just about to open the door when a girl came up to him.

"Are you the guy who's going to be taking pictures tonight?" she asked him.

"Err, yeah, I am. The name's Shell by the way." He held out his hand, and the girl shook it.

"Talya. I write the newspaper for Shiz, and I was thinking maybe you can assist me?"

"Yeah, sure," replied Shell. "Anything to start off my career as a photographer. Man, this party is going to be so exciting! I love parties, unlike my sisters."

Talya laughed. "I love parties too, but it's a bit sad, as I won't be able to experience the life of the party. Nobody's asked me to go with them." She hung her head sadly.

Shell couldn't believe his ears. Studying Talya, he could see that she was one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen; her bright blue eyes shone in the sunlight as if they were stars; she had long, light brown hair with a fringe to one side; and she had a beautiful smile. "Talya," he said, holding out his hand to her, "would you like to come to the dance with me?"

Talya's smile grew wider. "You mean it?" Shell nodded. Talya ran into his arms. "Oh, thank you, Shell! Thank you! I'll make the top story _Aspiring Photographer Dates Hopeful Journalist_!"

The two of them laughed. "Guess I'll see you tonight then!" said Shell, as Talya walked off, waving goodbye. As Shell stared after her with a smile on his face, little did he know that Talya was also smiling, but for a completely different reason. Suddenly, Boq burst out of the door, noticing Shell in a happy mood.

"Hey, Shell, why are you all dreamy for?" he asked.

Shell took his friend's hands into his own. "I've just got a date with the most beautiful girl in Shiz!" He then spilled the beans about Talya and informed Boq about the Prince who would be joining them.

"Wow, you're one lucky guy!" exclaimed Boq. "Glad to know someone else from our dorm is going to the party! All those jerks want to do is get their asses drunk in the pub. They tried to get me to come too, but I told them you'd kick their lousy butts, and they made a run for it."

"Nice one," said Shell, giving Boq a high-five. "Better get ready then."

"Yep, me too," said Boq. "I still have to find my date tonight. No worries though, tonight I'll be dancing 'til sunrise with the girl of my dreams!"

He ran off excitedly. Shell knew very well that Galinda wasn't going to accept Boq's invite, but Boq was very self-confident with it, and Shell didn't want to see his friend's heart break. Shell opened the door and lay down on his bed thinking about tonight: he was going to get a job as a photographer, he was going to date the prettiest girl in Shiz... what could possibly go wrong?

**Hope you all enjoyed Chapter 3! Chapter 4 will be up before you know it, and our favourite Winkie Prince will make his entrance, as will our second OC! Please R&R!!!**


	4. Chapter 4: Old Friends and New Friends

**A/N: Thank you to TheWickedElphaba for reviewing Chapter 3!!! Chapter 4 will see Fiyero make his debut in this story *hears a thousand Fiyero fangirls screaming excitedly*, as well as our second OC. We've already met our female OC, Talya, now it's time to meet Rennon, our male OC! Rennon won't feature much in this story, but I will also be writing a short story about him once we get to know him, PLUS SHELL WILL BE IN THAT STORY TOO!!! Also, for Bessa fans, I am writing a few more chapters of **_**Love At First Sight**_**, and they'll be up soon so keep a watch out for them! Also, just wanted to note down that the Avaric who shares Shell and Boq's dorm (AKA bookverse Avaric) and the Avaric who drives Fiyero to Shiz (AKA musicalverse Avaric) are two separate people, just to avoid confusion. Also a Happy New Year to everyone!!! And now, I give you the last chapter of **_**Brother of a Witch **_**of 2009, Chapter 4!!!**

**- Sharky**

**Chapter 4: Old Friends and New Friends**

Shell was walking to the library when suddenly he heard a crash by the door, followed by what sounded like a girl shouting. Several people immediately ran over to the scene to see what was going on. Pushing his way through the crowd, Shell could see that it was Elphaba who had shouted, and she was arguing with a man in a greenish-brown suit. Looking around, he saw that the man was actually the driver of a carriage, with a sleeping young man around eighteen inside.

"Please Miss, you'll disturb him!" the driver yelled silently, trying as hard as possible not to wake up the sleeping boy.

"I certainly will!," exclaimed Elphaba, hitting the boy over the head with one of the books she was carrying. The boy suddenly awoke.

"Miss, do you have any idea who this..." the driver started to say, but Elphaba cut him off.

"I don't care if he's... if he's the Prince of the Vinkus! Your cart almost knocked me over, and you're sleeping?"

The boy chuckled and jumped right out of the carriage. "Well, I'll be seeing you soon, Avaric. I won't last longer at this school than I did at any of the others." He and his driver gave each other a high-ten and did a silly dance together that made some of the students around them giggle. Shell could see that Elphaba had a "no-wonder-he-got-kicked-out-of-school-so-many-times" look on her face.

"Is this how you go through life?," asked Elphaba, "nearly knocking people over and not even noticing them?"

"Maybe the driver saw green and thought it meant go?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. Disgusted, Elphaba walked off. Several other students made their way off as well, laughing to themselves, as if the new guy had suddenly became the class clown.

Shell wanted to hit this asshole for making a joke about his sister, but then decided not to, as he could get back at him any day. Perhaps he was the new roommate that he, Boq, Crope, Tibbett, and Avaric would be getting. Speaking of Avaric, looking at this new guy, Shell could see that he reminded him of Avaric in more ways than one. They were both very well-built, they both had an attitude, and, come to think of it, Shell wasn't even sure that either of them had a brain or not. Shell stared at the boy with mild curiosity. He had brownish-blond hair, black sunglasses over his eyes, cream trousers that were tucked into brown boots, ana a white shirt covered by a red vest. All in an attempt to look "cool". He could see that the boy was looking at a map of the school.. should he help him find his way around?

Before he could think about it, however, a voice called, "Miss Galinda! Miss Galinda!," and sure enough Galinda came running on the scene, chased by Boq, who seemed to be failing his mission of asking her to the party tonight. "I know I'm just a mere Munchkin, but Munchkins have feelings too, and it's almost as if you don't know who I am!"

"Oh, that's not true Biq!"

"Boq..." he corrected her, but Galinda didn't seem to be listening. Instead, she looked around to see Mr. Cool. "Biq!" she exclaimed, accidentally stepping on Boq's foot, "do you know who that is? That's Fiyero Tiggular, the Winkie Prince whose reputation is so scandalicious!"

She approached Fiyero, attracting looks of disgust from Shell. _Yeah, that's right, Upland, _he thought to himself. _Go flirt with His Royal Asshole. I'm sure you two would make a great couple. _"Were you looking for something... or someone?," she said with a smile.

"Err... yeah," Fiyero replied. "History class."

Boq had been following Galinda, and it was clear that he didn't want the Prince stealing his date for tonight, so he dragged Fiyero away from her. "History class is waaay over there..." he started, but Galinda grabbed Fiyero's other arm. "Actually, class just finished."

"I see," said Fiyero, "perfect timing."

Shell knew that Boq was no match for the Prince no matter how hard he tried, and he was losing interest in the matter whatsoever, so he walked away from the situation. He didn't want to see his friend's heart break like that. How was he going to tell Boq that Galinda had no interest in him whatsoever? Shell tried his hardest not to think about Boq and concentrate on tonight. This night would hopefully start off a new career for him; he could see a big photograph spread across the front cover of the newspaper with all the couples to one side, and there was Boq, sitting to the side with his head buried in his hands and his heart broken... _damn! _No matter what, all of Shell's thoughts came back to Boq. What was Shell to do? He closed his eyes, and without realising it, had bumped into another student, sending their books and papers flying everywhere.

"Sorry," Shell muttered. "Didn't see where I was going... Ren?"

"Shell?" The boy looked Shell in the eyes. He was an albino with dark grey eyes, and his hair stuck up much like Boq's, but more spiky. "Is that you? Oh, I missed you so much, Shell "Go-to-Hell" Thropp!"

"I missed you too, Rennon "Ren-the-Den" Elrys!" Shell and Rennon high-fived each other. "Where've you been all this time?"

"Well, my parents didn't want me coming here at first," explained Rennon. "They wanted me to be educated privately in some school in Quadling Country for gifted kids. When I went to see it, I hated the place. Full of snot-nosed kids who all had some mental health issue or something. Seriously, it was like being in a madhouse. So after much begging, they finally gave in and let me come here. Besides, I'd never want to be apart from my two best friends. Where's Boq by the way? Where's the third Musketeer? I was thinking of crashing the party tonight, would be no fun without him."

"Oh, he's off flirting," Shell said with a sigh, "and failing in the process. He's trying to get a date with Galinda Upland _of the Upper Uplands_," Rennon sneered when Shell emphasised on the last four words. "But everyone knows she's getting a date with Fiyero Tiggular, Prince of the Vinkus. I've just met him. He's a total asshole. Thinks he's cool and whatnot. And you're not crashing any parties tonight, Ren. I've got a career starting tonight."

As they walked, Shell told Rennon about Talya and his new job as the photographer for Shiz's newspaper. "Wow, man, that's awesome!" said Rennon, giving Shell a high-five.

"I know," said Shell. "So, you got anyone in mind to ask to the party, or..." He was interrupted when Madame Morrible approached them.

"Ah, Master Rennon, good to see you finally join us," she said, handing him a key to his dorm room. "You will be in the Knight's Dormitory."

"You mean he's not with me?!," exclaimed Shell furiously.

"I'm afraid not, Master Shell, but we have another roommate sorted for you. Master Fiyero will be rooming with you," Shell scowled the moment he heard Fiyero's name, "Oh, and for the love of Oz, don't forget the camera! This, young man, could be the start of a new career for you," she smiled.

"Don't worry, Madame, I won't let you down!" said Shell excitedly, focusing on tonight.

"That's a good lad," smiled Morrible. "By the way, have you seen your sister, Miss Elphaba, anywhere? She's late for her Sorcery lesson."

"I think she was in the library, Madame" said Shell.

"Oh, jolly good. Be sure to make me proud tonight!"

"I'd better go," Shell said to Rennon once Morrible was out of sight. "Party starts in an hour. See you there. And please don't crash the party, we'll crash as many parties in the future as we want to, it's just that my career depends on tonight."

"You're the man, Shell," sighed Rennon.

The two went off their separate ways. Had Shell looked back, he would have witnessed a certain Munchkin asking a certain sister of his to the party tonight.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Shell had got back to his dorm room, he was greeted by an excitable Boq. "Dude, guess what?"

"Don't tell me it worked," said Shell, rolling his eyes; by the time Galinda had said yes to a date with Boq, the whole of Oz would have frozen over.

"Even better! Galinda asked me to do me a big favour for her, and you know me, I'd do anything for _her_," he said with a sigh.

"Spill the beans."

"She got me to ask Nessa out!" Shell was shocked; Nessa wasn't even going to the party, and how would she be able to dance in a wheelchair? Still, Shell kept quiet; he didn't want to see Boq's feelings hurt. "It's the next best thing!"

"Congratulations!" said Shell, trying his best to make out to Boq that he was excited for him. "Oh yeah, you never guess who I just saw?"

"Who?"

"Rennon."

"Really? Oh, Sweet Oz, I can't believe it! It's like our childhood repeating itself again! Are we going to crash the party?"

Shell rolled his eyes. "Boq, in case you've forgotten, you and I are _going _to the party! But you have to promise me two things. One, you will not go chasing after Galinda. Nessa is my sister, and I would like to see her have fun for once in her life. And two, please don't embarrass me when I'm taking pictures. This whole thing could ruin my reputation."

"Deal," said Boq, shaking Shell's hand. It wasn't long before Avaric, Crope and Tibbett had returned from Oz-knows-where too, and it seemed they were hiding something under thier shirts. "Ooh, what's the matter, Shorty?" sneered Avaric, teasing Boq. "Too chicken to come to the pub tonight?"

"For your information, _Avaric_," said Shell, "he has a date tonight, and so do I. Tell me, do you have a girlfriend? Because girls like _dancing_, not hanging around with a gang of hoodlums who spend half their lives in the bar. Besides, who'd want to date you, you're as ugly as your mother's ass, bet it took fifteen years to clean that filth off." Boq roared with laughter.

"Did you just insult my mother, Thropp?," Avaric spat, pushing his finger into Shell's face.

"Oh, you want to fight, do you? Go on, then!" Shell pushed Avaric to the ground, and soon enough, the two of them were fighting so hard it was hard to see who was winning. At the side, Boq was rooting for Shell, whilst Crope and Tibbett were cheering on Avaric. It seemed to be getting tense when suddenly Fiyero entered, splitting the two up.

"Hey, hey, guys! Calm down!" he said. "You're roommates. You're supposed to be getting on."

"I wouldn't call _that _filthy piece of scum my roommate," said Shell. "He constantly bullies the living daylights out of my best friend, someone's got to stick up to him. And for what? Boq did nothing wrong, what's wrong with getting a date and going to a party? But apparently _these three_" he indicated Avaric, Crope and Tibbett, "don't know the meaning of the word _party_. They just want to get drunk."

"Well it's your decision," said Fiyero, "but I'd reccomend you tag along. You might find the prettiest girls there, and you can entertain them all night long. Women are so easy to play around with."

"You're right, Your Highness..." Avaric began, but Fiyero laughed and put his arm around him. "Your Highness? Please, call me Fiyero. You might think being Prince of the Vinkus is luxury life, but trust me, I hate it. It's so boring that you have to attend all these royal gatherings and stuff. It's as boring as school. Schools.. blah, they're always teaching the wrong lessons. They never got me, any of the schools I went to. As I always say, it's just life, so keep dancing through."

"Wow, that was superb!" said Shell. "Fiyero, when I saw you earlier, I thought you were one of those stuck-up kids, but now I think you're really cool. Do you think we can be friends?"

"Of course!" said Fiyero, putting his other arm around Shell. He then turned to Avaric. "Do you think we can all be friends?"

Avaric sighed. "Yeah, alright then. I'm sorry Boq. I'm sorry Shell. I'll see you guys at the party tonight. I need to lie down."

Shell smiled. He didn't know what he'd do if Fiyero hadn't turned up. Now that he and his roommates were getting along fine, Shell wondered if Elphaba and Galinda would ever put their differences aside and become friends...

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The party was great! Shell had just taken a break from dancing with Talya to taking pictures with his camera. What would make a good photograph? He looked around for things that would make the top story. Galinda and Fiyero were stealing the limelight, and of course the dancefloor, attracting glares of jealousy from several girls and Boq, who seemed to have fun wheeling Nessa around the dancefloor as if they were actually dancing. Aside from them, Rennon was dancing by himself, having not bothered to find himself a partner; Crope and Tibbett seemed to be dancing with each other, hinting to Shell that they were gay; Madame Morrible was walking up to... hang on... _Madame Morrible _was at the party?!

"Miss Upland? I have something for you. A training wand."

Galinda gasped in awe. "Madame, how can I ever express my gratitution?"

"Oh, don't thank me, it was your roommate's idea. Not mine." This came as a shock to Shell as well as Galinda. Why would Elphaba do something for _her_? After all, they hated each other, right?

"Miss Elphaba requested that I should include you in Sorcery," Madame Morrible went on to explain. "She insisted that I tell you this very night or she would quit the seminar. I have no idea why. My personal opinion is that you do not have what it takes. I hope you will prove me wrong, I doubt you will."

As Galinda went back to Fiyero, upset about something, Talya turned to Shell, asking if he would like to dance with her, but he declined, saying that he needed to take a photo of something that would make a top story. Talya accepted, and then went to join Rennon on the dancefloor.

Shell looked at them and sighed. He then turned his attention to Crope and Tibbett, who were dancing together. _Hmm, Gay Oz_, Shell thought to himself. _Maybe that could make a good story..._He was just about to zoom in when suddenly he heard several other students laughing. He looked up to see, to his dismay, Elphaba standing at the top of the stairs, wearing a dark blue frock and a black pointed hat on her head. She walked down the stairs and shot a hurtful look towards Galinda. _Sweet Oz_, thought Shell, _what has been going on?!_

Shell hadn't seen the worst part yet: Elphaba had started dancing,as if there was music playing that only she could hear. Nessa turned away in embarrassment, and several other students just stared and whispered. "Well I'll say this much, she doesn't give a twig about what anyone else thinks," said Fiyero, who was in the corner of the room not far away from Shell, along with Galinda.

"Of course she does, she just pretends not to" said Galinda, who had tears forming in her eyes. "I feel awful."

"It's not like this was your fault," said Fiyero, but Galinda ignored him. Walking up to Elphaba on the dancefloor, she cleared her throat. "May I cut in?" She began to copy Elphaba's dance moves. Elphaba could tell Galinda was mocking her, but it turned out she wasn't; Galinda called Elphaba back and the two danced together. Suddenly, tears started to form in Shell's eyes. _Girls can be so confusing_, he thought to himself, as the band started to play.

Shell knew exactly what to take a picture of now. After clicking down the button on his camera, he beckoned for Talya to join him on the dancefloor. Soon, Fiyero joined them, then Rennon, then Nessa and Boq.. soon the entire school was on the dancefloor dancing to Elphaba's new dance! Suddenly, Galinda grabbed Elphaba's hand and smiled, before mouthing something that sounded like "Friends?" and Elphaba returned the smile, mouthing the same thing back.

For the first time in his life, Shell saw that his older sister was smiling happily, and for once thought that she was being accepted. He had heard an old saying, "a strange thing, your life will end up changing while you're dancing through". For Shell, it seemed that this night had changed practically everyone's lives.

**Wow, that was the longest chapter I've ever written! Did you like it? Please R&R!!! Chaptyer 5 up soon!!!**


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